“My whole life has been spent on or around Lake Pontchartrain."
-- John Besh, Executive Chef of Restaurant August,
Besh Steakhouse, Lüke and La Provence
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Premiered Thursday, November 15, 2007 at 7pm & 10pm
Repeats Tuesday, December 4, 2007 at 7pm & 10pm;
Saturday, December 8 at 10:30am
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       Crabbing along the seawall, riding the Zephyr Rollercoaster at Pontchartrain Beach, dining at Bruning's and Fitzgerald's Restaurants, vacationing at a camp in Little Woods — just a few of the special memories shared in ALONG LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN . 

 Recalling their own  Lake Pontchartrain memories are Carlton Dufrechou , head of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation; Chef John Besh , Executive Chef of  Restaurant August,  Besh Steakhouse, Lüke and La Provence; Dr. John , New Orleans musician; Eddie L. Sapir , attorney and former New Orleans Councilman-At-Large;  Deacon John Moore , New Orleans musician; and Frank Davis , WWL-TV personality, among others.

          Highlighted in this program are the neighborhoods that line the southshore of the lake such as Lake Vista . Created by an engineering feat in the 1930s that reclaimed land, “new neighborhoods” enabled New Orleans to expand its boundaries.

The program also focuses on the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, the longest bridge in the world, which connects the south and north shores with two parallel bridges each almost twenty-four miles in length.

Included in the program are memories of the northshore, including old Mandeville and fishing camps near Slidell .          

At an astounding six-hundred and thirty square miles, Lake Pontchartrain is the second largest salt water lake in the United States , after the Great Salt Lake in Utah , supplying much of the area's seafood. 

            In 1699 the explorer Iberville named the lake after Louis Phelypeaux, Count Pontchartain. The Count was in charge of the French colonies, the Navy and was a patron to Iberville.      

         Part of the Pontchartrain tributary system is Bayou St. John. In addition to its place in early New Orleans history as a waterway for American Indians, this portage between the Bayou and the Mississippi River attracted early French explorers and traders. Indeed the Bayou helped determine the location of the city of New Orleans at the river end of the portage route.

            In the 19 th century, the mouth of the Bayou at Lake Pontchartrain was the site of an amusement park called Spanish Fort and also, popping up was Milneberg, a popular resort town, accessible from downtown New Orleans by the legendary train called the Smoky Mary. In the more recent past, Pontchartrain Beach , and for a decade, Lincoln Beach provided thrills with amusement rides and stage shows.

This one-hour program is filled with home movies, archival photos, interviews with locals who share their memories, as well as experts who provide insight on the lake and what it means to our community, past and present. ALONG LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN is produced and hosted by Peggy Scott Laborde. Edited by Larry Roussarie, and the Associate Producer is Ashli Richard.

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For additional press information, please contact: Aislinn Hinyup, Promotion Manager, WYES-TV, (504) 838-0364, ahinyup@wyes.org

To obtain a copy of this program, please contact: the membership department at membership@wyes.org, or (504) 831-1503

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ALONG LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN is made possible by the Whitney Bank and the Producers Circle , a group of WYES members who contribute towards local productions.